Decadence 2012 Belgian-Style Quadruple Ale | AleSmith Brewing Company

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Deep ruby pour, pillowy, off-white head that dissipates to a lasting ring, Aroma of chocolate, toffee, plum, rum, raisin, clove and Belgian yeast. It’s a beautiful scent, but it could be just a tad more prominent. Flavor mirrors the aroma, (with the addition of pepper) and is extremely elegant and seamless. I think the best compliment I can pay this brew is to say that it reminds me very much of a slightly lighter Westvleteren 12.

Appearance: Like all AleSmith offerings, the bottle is an understated piece of art in itself. The beer pours a dark but clear mahogany, capped with a medium-sized off-white head. The head collapses pretty quickly under the weight of the ABV, but leaves pretty good lacing.

Smell: A pretty traditional huge quad nose comes up and hits you right in the… nose. Stone fruits dominate, but cloves and Belgian spices join it, along with bananas.

Taste: The taste follows the nose but develops differently. The stone fruits, which seem to evolve into a combination of plums and cherries, continue at the fore, but they are married nicely with the flavors that were previewed in the nose: black pepper, cloves, raisins and bananas. For a 12% ABV the alcohol is actually pretty well disguised, but it’s sort of like the Miami Heat disguising how big LeBron is; there are a lot of big guys on the court, but he’s still huge.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. For a lot of really big beers like this (quads, big tripels), I love the idea of a little more zip to lighten up the massiveness of the taste. In most cases, though, I think that it’s a necessary tradeoff for the brewer, and I think that’s the case here.

Drinkability: This is an exceptional beer, but as with any Belgian it should not be treated as a toy. Even for an experienced reviewer of Belgian beers, this like a double-barreled blast from a twelve gauge. Approach with (enthusiastic) caution.